Gunmen launched a midnight attack on the students’ quarters of Bilyaminu Usman Polytechnic, Hadejia, Jigawa State, on Thursday, injuring two students and carting away several mobile phones.
The assault took place at a privately rented male hostel located off-campus along the Malam Madori road.
Eyewitnesses said the attackers stormed the area late in the night, unleashing chaos and violence.
One student, who requested anonymity, recounted: “It was around midnight when the attackers came; they caused chaos, injured some students, and took many phones belonging to the students away.”
Another resident, Tukur Danlami, added, “If it wasn’t for the shouts and screams of the students, we wouldn’t have known what happened. Neighbours from nearby communities rushed to help, forcing the attackers to flee.”
Confirming the incident on Friday, the Police Public Relations Officer of Jigawa State Command, SP Shi’isu Adam, said investigations were underway while security had been reinforced in the area.
“We have received reports of the attack and have begun investigations while increasing security measures to apprehend the culprits,” he said.
Adam explained that the incident occurred at an off-campus male residence occupied by students. “The location is quite isolated, which made it vulnerable to the assault by the armed men,” he noted.
According to him, police officers responded swiftly after receiving distress reports. “From our record, two students were seriously injured. They were promptly taken by the police to the Hadejia General Hospital for medical treatment. As I am speaking to you this evening (Friday), the injured and admitted students taken to the hospital have been discharged by a medical doctor,” he added.
Efforts to get a response from the management of Bilyaminu Usman Polytechnic were unsuccessful as of the time of filing this report.
Reacting to the incident, a local youth leader, Garba Ibrahim, expressed deep concern during a phone interview.
“The people here are terrified. Such attacks disrupt peace and threaten the safety of our youths. We call on the government and security agencies to take urgent and concrete steps to protect the students and residents alike,” he said.
“It is crucial that the authorities increase patrols and install more security measures around the institution. The community is ready to cooperate fully with security agents to ensure such dangerous incidents do not happen again,” Ibrahim added.
